Exclusive from 36Kr | XPeng has planned five extended-range vehicles, including sedans and SUVs.

Text | Han Yongchang

Editor | Zhang Bowen, Yang Xuan

XPeng Motors has started to fully embrace extended - range vehicles.

36Kr has exclusively learned that XPeng Motors has currently planned at least five extended - range models, including sedans and SUVs. "It means that both the P7 and G6 will have extended - range versions."

"The first extended - range model will be developed based on the X9 and will go into mass production in the second half of this year. There will be extended - range models on platforms such as E, F, and H, which are scheduled for next year and the year after. In the future, most of XPeng's new cars will adopt both extended - range and pure - electric power modes," said a person familiar with the matter.

XPeng's decision on the planning of extended - range models has been full of twists and turns. 36Kr has learned that as early as the end of 2022, when the company internally discussed strategic transformation, there were two directions: one was to focus on low - cost products, and the other was to shift to other power forms. But XPeng ultimately chose the low - cost direction, which is the current MONA.

At that time, the extended - range vehicle market was not stable either. Li Auto's annual sales were only about 130,000 units, and Nezha was still the annual sales champion among new - energy vehicle startups. The market outlook was not clear.

However, by 2024, the extended - range vehicle market has boomed. Automakers such as Li Auto, Wenjie, and Leapmotor have continuously verified the market competitiveness of extended - range models. Developing extended - range vehicles has become an urgent task.

Except for Tesla and NIO, almost all pure - electric vehicle manufacturers have plans for extended - range products. Naturally, XPeng is not willing to lag behind and has put the previously abandoned extended - range route back on the agenda.

"Later, we found that the transformation was not an active choice but the direction of the overall market." This is also the reason why XPeng is vigorously planning extended - range models.

Therefore, XPeng officially announced its extended - range vehicle plan in November 2024 and launched the Kunpeng Electric System. However, the specific models, pricing, and mass - production time of the new cars have not been officially disclosed.

It is reported that the highlight of the extended - range models in the Kunpeng Electric System is that they are equipped with an 800V platform, have 5C ultra - fast charging capabilities, and can achieve a pure - electric range of over 400 kilometers.

This ability is similar to the Xiaoyao extended - range hybrid battery launched by CATL and is also a necessary capability for future extended - range models in the face of fierce market competition.

Before the intensive launch of extended - range models, XPeng had regained the top position among new - energy vehicle startups with its low - cost strategy.

In the second half of 2024, XPeng launched the MONA M03 starting at 119,800 yuan and the new P7+ starting at 186,800 yuan. These two models quickly became popular in the market. In particular, the MONA M03 accounted for almost half of XPeng's monthly sales of over 30,000 units in February this year.

Thanks to the popularity of these two models, in the fourth quarter of 2024, XPeng sold 91,500 vehicles, with a revenue of 16.11 billion yuan. The sales volume increased by 96.6% compared with 46,500 units in the third quarter.

Throughout 2024, XPeng sold about 190,000 vehicles, with a revenue of 40.87 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 33.2%. The loss was 5.79 billion yuan, a year - on - year reduction of 44%. He Xiaopeng, the chairman and CEO of XPeng Motors, said in an earnings conference call that the company is expected to achieve profitability in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Before releasing its strongest financial report since listing, XPeng's latest G6 and G9 models were officially launched. The former received 5,000 large - order bookings in seven minutes after its launch, while the latter exceeded 3,000 large - order bookings in 45 minutes.

The consecutive hot sales made XPeng the center of attention for a while. Even Li Auto, which was once so confident, has to keep a low profile in front of XPeng now.

However, XPeng cannot let down its guard. In the highly competitive automotive industry, the life cycle of each new car is being infinitely compressed.

Take the XPeng MONA M03 as an example. This pure - electric Class A sedan targeting young consumers features good looks and intelligent driving, filling a gap in the electric vehicle market and becoming XPeng's current sales pillar. However, it has more and more powerful competitors.

Last year, the Aion RT, which was launched shortly after the M03, fully targeted the M03, with almost the same price range. It sold nearly 30,000 units in two months after its launch, taking away many orders from XPeng. Not long ago, the BYD Qin L EV was also officially launched. This car was mentioned countless times at the press conference as "built for the youth" and is also targeted at the M03.

The Qin L EV comes standard with a refrigerator, a large - screen TV, and a comfortable sofa, and its intelligent driving configuration is even higher than that of the M03. Coupled with BYD's excellent cost - control ability, the price of this car is between 119,800 and 139,800 yuan, while the M03 is priced between 119,800 and 155,800 yuan.

BYD has always adhered to the dual - car strategy. After the Qin L EV, the Seal 06 EV is about to be launched. Under multiple impacts, it is inevitable that the XPeng MONA M03 will lose a lot of market share.

Opportunity windows are always fleeting. If XPeng cannot quickly deliver cars during the order - explosion period, it will only lose more market share to competitors. This is also XPeng's weakness. The long - standing production - capacity problem of XPeng has not been properly solved yet.

The "difficulty in delivery" problem that occurred after the MONA M03 received a large number of orders is faintly emerging again with the new G6. He Xiaopeng recently posted on Weibo: "Due to supply - chain issues, our production in the first month is very tight. Currently, I'm also working hard to find solutions and strive not to let everyone down."

In the past two years, XPeng's old - model G6, X9, M03, and the newly launched G6 have all had varying degrees of production - capacity problems. As time goes by, if the initial order enthusiasm fades, it is difficult to ensure stable sales growth. After all, in the segmented market of popular models such as the P7+, new G6, and G9, the competition is extremely fierce.

Therefore, XPeng needs continuous hit models rather than just a single one.

Although pure - electric products such as the MONA M03, P7+, and new G6 are indeed powerful, except for Tesla and Xiaomi, the sales of pure - electric models of other brands are ultimately limited. In the Chinese market, extended - range models have become a long - term source of sales and profits, which has been verified by multiple brands several times.

This is why XPeng has planned so many extended - range models. After all, in the endless war of the automotive industry, a temporary sales boom is never the end. Sustained hematopoietic ability is the foundation for survival.